An image's filename tells a builder which file to use. It does not explain what a visitor needs to understand from it.
Give each image a job, then write the text needed to preserve that job. The output is an image-purpose register: placement, meaning, proposed alternative and a check for the implemented page.
For a ClickFunnels AI project, this register can accompany the supplied images and page brief. It does not establish an image-setting feature or an accessible implementation. The garden-layout examples below are fictional planning cases. No image or page has been tested.
Start with the image in its actual context
Read the heading, nearby copy and any link or button containing the image. Ask what would disappear if the image were unavailable. The answer could be information, the purpose of an action, or nothing needed to complete the task.
W3C's image decision tree distinguishes these uses. A decorative image, an informative photograph and an image that supplies a link's only label need different treatment. The same file can need a different alternative when its placement changes.
Record the file version and its intended location. “Write alt text for every picture” leaves the critical context out of the assignment. A builder needs to know whether the picture is an illustration, a control or a repetition of information already present.
Make four concrete decisions
Imagine a page offering a garden-layout planning sheet. The owner has supplied the following fictional image descriptions for a draft. These are content assumptions for the exercise, not inspection results or evidence of reuse permission.
Scroll horizontally to compare all columns.
| ID | Planned image and context | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| I01 | Leaf texture behind an introduction; conveys no information | Decorative treatment |
| I02 | Photo comparing a raised bed with a ground-level bed; nearby copy asks the reader to compare the structures | Brief informative description |
| I03 | Cover image is the only content of a link to a sample PDF | Name the link's destination |
| I04 | Diagram shows two branching routes through the planning exercise | Short identification plus a complete text explanation |
The classification is a starting decision. Keep the proposed wording, its reason and the implementation check together.
I01: A texture that adds no information
The leaf texture sets the page's mood. No instruction, offer detail or action depends on seeing it.
If implemented as an ordinary HTML image, specify an explicitly empty alternative: alt="". W3C's decorative-image guidance distinguishes an empty alternative from omitting the attribute. Leaving the attribute out can expose an unhelpful filename to assistive technology.
Do not enter the word “decorative” as the visitor-facing alternative. Record that word as the decision in your worksheet. The implementer must use the correct treatment for the actual image mechanism; a blank field in an unfamiliar editor does not establish the resulting markup.
If the texture later contains a written instruction, reassess it. It is no longer this case.
I02: A photograph that explains a choice
The assumed photo shows a raised timber bed beside a bed at ground level. The page asks the reader which structure they are planning.
A proposed alternative is:
Raised timber garden bed beside a bed at ground level.
That describes the distinction the reader needs. “Beautiful garden image” drops it. “The easiest garden layout” adds a claim the image cannot establish.
W3C's informative-image guidance ties the description to the information the image contributes. Inspect the supplied file before approving the wording. If a crop removes the ground-level bed, this description no longer matches.
Do not guess a person's identity, a product material or a result from a filename. Resolve an uncertain detail with the source owner, or leave that unsupported detail out.
I03: A cover that acts as a link
The cover is the link's only content. Its job is to open the garden-layout sample PDF.
A proposed alternative is:
Open the garden-layout sample (PDF).
W3C's functional-image guidance explains why this alternative describes the action or destination, rather than the artwork. “Green book cover” would leave the link's purpose unclear.
The PDF destination is an assumption in this fictional plan. On a real page, check the actual target and file before using that label. If the link instead opens an enquiry form, fix the destination or change the promise.
A decorative arrow inside a link that already says “Open the garden-layout sample (PDF)” can have an empty alternative when it adds no other information. The link must still have its meaningful text label.
I04: A diagram that needs more than a short label
The fictional diagram contains a decision and two branches. Compressing it to “Garden planning process” would omit the instructions.
Use a short identifier such as:
Garden-layout planning routes. Full steps below.
Then provide the full meaning as ordinary nearby text:
- Measure the available space and mark fixed obstacles.
- Decide whether the bed will be raised or at ground level.
- For a raised bed, mark its outside edges and the space needed to reach it.
- For a ground-level bed, mark the planting boundary and the space needed to reach it.
- For either route, add the access path before choosing plant positions.
These are invented worksheet instructions, not horticultural advice. The purpose is to preserve the diagram's sequence and branching relationship.
W3C's complex-image guidance describes combining a short identification with a fuller text representation of essential information. Make the referenced “Full steps below” real and easy to find. A long description that exists only in the private worksheet does not help a visitor.
Recheck the decision when the placement changes
Suppose I02 becomes the only image inside a link to a bed-comparison page. Its earlier description explains what it depicts, but does not fully identify the new action.
The new register entry should identify the destination, for example:
Compare raised and ground-level garden beds.
Use that wording once the destination is confirmed. Preserve the comparison information elsewhere if the visitor still needs it. If visible link text already supplies the complete purpose, avoid repeating it unnecessarily.
This is a context change, not a request to apply one description everywhere the file appears. Record the placement as well as the filename so an assistant cannot silently reuse an outdated decision.
Check the implementation against the plan
Give the register to the person implementing the page. Ask them to inspect the actual output and record the page version, check method and result. Keep these questions separate:
- Does the alternative match the current image and nearby content?
- Is decorative treatment explicit and appropriate for the implementation?
- Can a person understand an image-only control's purpose?
- Is every referenced longer description present and complete?
- Does the rendered page expose the intended equivalent to the relevant assistive technology?
A written alternative is a prepared input. It is not proof that the page exposes it correctly. Mark each implementation check NOT RUN until performed; record an observed issue or an unresolved question when appropriate.
Use the image-purpose worksheet for the four examples and your own register. Keep source ownership and reuse conditions alongside the files; alternative text does not settle them.
Bring the completed plan into your ClickFunnels AI brief using the workflow and access guidance at /agents. Check the actual page afterward. This exercise covers image equivalents only; it is not a full accessibility evaluation or certification.